A poultry factory has warned people living nearby that a bad smell could get worse over the next few months while work is carried out on equipment.

Banham Poultry invited people living in Attleborough to its factory on Station Road on Friday, June 12, to discuss ongoing problems with bad odour from the processing plant.

They were joined by an officer from the Environment Agency (EA), which regulates the factory, county councillor Rhodri Oliver and members of Attleborough Town Council.

At the meeting managers outlined plans to improve its emissions, which included replacing the effluent tanks installed by the previous owners.

But it warned the work was likely to make the problem worse before it got better.

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Mr Oliver said managers told the meeting the replacement work would create an increase in odour until it was completed, which was likely to be during winter.

One woman, who lives on New North Road, added: "They told us the plant was in a dreadful state and had not been maintained properly. This is not just about how the company comes across; it's about the whole town and the image problem it causes Attleborough to smell like rotting chickens."

Banham Poultry declined to comment.

EA, which is tasked with monitoring how well the firm adheres to its environmental permit, said Banham was currently operating within band E, just one tier above the lowest available rating for compliance, and was therefore paying 150% the standard fee for its environmental permit as a penalty.

They said: "Over the past six months we have increased our regulatory input into the site with additional site inspections, meetings with management, off-site odour surveys and assessments of odour controls at the site.

"We have seen improvements at the site in infrastructure, management and procedures, however we are aware that odour remains an issue for local residents and we are committed to ensuring that Banham Poultry undertake further improvements."

Another meeting is due to take place at in the Francis Room at Connaught Hall at 6.30pm on Thursday July 18, with members of the public invited to share their views with representatives from Banham Poultry.